The Norwegian Heathen Society ( no, Det norske Hedningsamfunn (''DnH'') or ''Hedningsamfunnet'' for short) is a non-partisan irreligious society that was established in 1974 and whose main focus is counteracting the Church of Norway and Christian influence in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The Heathen Society calls itself a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

antireligious Antireligion is opposition to religion. It involves opposition to organized religion, religious ritual, religious practices or religious institutions. The term ''antireligion'' has also been used to describe opposition to specific forms of supe ...

liberation movement A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperial ...

. The organization advocates freedom of and, if need be, from

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

and opposes Christian and Muslim influence. From time to time it challenges the so-called " blasphemy paragraph" in section 142 of the Norwegian Penal Code, which provides for punishment for anyone "who publicly insults or in an offensive manner shows contempt for any religious creed or for the doctrines or worship of any religious community lawfully existing n Norway. In 1982 it produced the cartoon ''Jesus Kristus & Co.'', depicting

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, which stirred considerable controversy. Charges were filed by the women's branch of the

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

, but later dropped. Another of its actions was its successful demand for the right to call "God does not exist" from the rooftops after

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

City Council granted a mosque the right to broadcast Adhan (prayer calls). The society also supports the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

Purpose

"The Norwegian Heathens' Society advocates man as the end and the togetherness of humans as the means of human society. We advocate liberation from authoritarian religions and from faiths belittling and dividing men, which rate the value of humankind according to man’s relation to a deity, and which use norms and dogmata to further inhibit human thoughts and emotions. We promote the freedom of confession and oppose any confession-based discrimination in general, and we oppose The Church of Norway and other religious institutions in particular."Heathen Society
explanation brochure in English

References

External links

Official site
{{in lang, no Religion in Norway Atheist organizations Humanist associations Church–state separation advocacy organizations Organizations established in 1974 Skeptic organisations in Norway Secularism in Norway 1974 establishments in Norway

Purpose

See also

References

External links